Barriers and Blockades
by pokesyourcheek
Summary: She couldn't ignore how she felt about him forever. Especially now that there were no more layers to hide under.


She was meditating on the roof of the tower. Well, _trying_ to meditate on the roof of the tower. The dull fire that she kindled deep inside for one viridescent changeling was becoming harder to ignore.

On the one hand, she wanted nothing more than to give in to her affections and be with him at all hours of the day. On the other hand, she was terrified of letting someone in. It was hard enough letting Robin in; her best friend was close but still not nearly as close as they could have been. They were as close as they could be with Raven's sturdy walls, and that was more than enough for Robin.

But Beast Boy wasn't Robin.

Gar wasn't Dick.

She sighed deeply and relaxed her pose. Her legs were crossed on the concrete and the curve of her spine was now more prominent. Slouching was her thinking pose. Slouching was her everything pose when alone.

Gar insisted that she'd call him Gar instead of his work name, or even just Garfield. He never quit, and instead of celebrating every time that he peeled one of her layers away, he worked harder to break her walls even more.

His genuine care and unrelenting interest in her was driving her up the walls. She was certain that she was incapable of loving someone-of showing anything other than contempt or annoyance or mild tolerance. And then came Gar.

The boy-turned-man that swallowed all her insults and efforts to make space between them with open arms. The friend that sat with her in silence or brought waffles to her room when she'd become especially irritable. The muse that starred in her favorite dreams.

He knew so many damning things about her and still didn't waver in his pursuit of her. Even when Terra was around, Raven knew that he was just trying to fill the gap that she'd never let herself give him.

But recently, she found herself gravitating towards him instead of it being the other way around. She was always at his side in combat. She ventured from her lair of a bedroom to watch him and Cyborg play video games. She asked him to go on walks with her; just around the tower a couple times but it was still terribly surprising to the rest of the team. It seemed that she was breaking her own walls, all for him.

Gar didn't become cocky when she made the effort. Instead, he smiled even more. That jagged toothed grin was one of her favorite sights now.

When Raven opened her eyes, she was surprised to find that she'd missed the sunset. The purple-orange sky she expected was now navy blue. Before she could ponder how long she'd been outside, she picked up on a slight change in energy that was becoming less subtle by the second. Then the door behind her opened to reveal her muse.

"Aren't you cold out here, Rae?" He shuffled over and sat next to her, draping the blanket he had around his shoulders to accommodate the both of them. She was going to slap herself at how she'd responded to his body heat later. Her knees automatically came up against her chest as she scooted into the alcove in his side, resting her chin on his shoulder. It took almost no time at all for Garfield to react, hooking his arm around her and holding her closer, smiling to himself.

She breathed in his scent, a combination of cologne musk and a forest as green as his skin. It was scary how intoxicating that smell had become for her. Her lips began to move and sound poured out before she could even think to stop herself.

"I think I like you and I don't know what to do about it."

She felt the rise and fall of his chest stop before the thrumming in his ribcage picked up exponentially. Then it resumed to more of a constant pant than breathing. She knew her own heart was fluttering with anticipation and embarrassment but she had to get it out. The bluntness of her words was characteristic but the content surprised even her a bit.

Garfield swallowed the lump in his throat and turned his head slightly, watching her profile and admiring her features up close. With slight apprehension, she eventually met his gaze. The dim moonlight made it easier to face him but it was still a demanding task after being so open.

He brought his hand up to her chin then, brushing his nose against hers in a chaste encounter.

"I think I like you too, but _unlike_ you I know what to do about it."

His voice's drop in octave made her shiver, imagining a hundred different ways that the next couple minutes could play out. She found herself inching even closer to him, allowing him to scale the final wall.

"What, Gar?" She breathed out.

Their breaths mingled excitedly. His arm snaked around her waist and pulled her closer as he bridged the gap between their lips. Cold and warm complimented eachother in the most delicate embrace; a long awaited dance of passion was executed without a misstep. Her fingers found his touseled hair and grazed his scalp, excited to create more contact between the two. Garfield in turn hummed wantonly against Raven's lips before slipping his tongue in the mix, gently tracing her bottom lip. His request for access was accepted and the powerful titans melted into putty in eachothers' arms. It seemed like hours before the two parted for air, gasping for it as if they'd never inhaled something so sweet.

It then occurred to the both of them that they indeed never experienced something so sweet, so tender. When Raven finally let her eyelids flutter open, her stomach did backflips as her eyes connected with jade green ones. Violet strands came loose from behind her ear and almost curtained a part of her face. Garfield reached out to secure the piece of hair, letting his palm linger against her cheek and revel in the warmth pulsing beneath the skin.

"I want to feel like this every day with you, Raven. Dreams and fantasies won't cut it anymore after that."

Her blush increased tenfold but she held his eye contact with much effort. Her heart was beating erratically and the swell of emotions was almost overwhelming for her. But she bit it back and offered a small smirk, feeling the last bits of her wall crumble to soot.

"Ditto."


End file.
